A saffron-red tail fin with a solar logo appears beneath the exclusive second-floor Maharaja Lounge at San Francisco International Airport. Air India flight 4174 to Kolkata idles in view from the lounge’s slim windows, letting passengers avoid the busy terminal below. Entry is limited to first- and business class passengers on Air India flights and premium travelers on partnering Star Alliance airlines. Fewer than 20 people gather in the 3,300-square-foot space, which features tasteful art and on-demand delicacies. Vada pav sliders and signature cocktails are served by a bartender, including a gin-based Virgin Limitless with hibiscus and rose. The lounge’s opening aligns with Air India’s rejuvenation after returning to private ownership under the Tata Group.
"A saffron-red tail fin with a solar logo seemed to jet out from directly beneath the exclusive second-floor lounge among the A Gates at San Francisco International Airport. Air India flight 4174 to Kolkata idled in plain view from the slim windows inside the airline's Maharaja Lounge, which debuted in May. The aircraft's presence offered passengers in the lounge the simple pleasure of knowing their flight was still there, without having to join the commoners in the busy terminal below."
"Access to the new lounge is deliberately limited. Only first- and business class passengers on Air India flights or premium travelers on flights from partnering Star Alliance airlines make it past the dual hosts on guard at the gilded gates. A couple of hours before the flight to Kolkata, fewer than 20 people lolled about the intimate and suave space."
"At 3,300 square feet, the Maharaja Lounge is among the smaller lounges at SF, but its designers maximized the limited space with tasteful art pieces while going big with the on-demand delicacies. A tray of vada pav sliders, a Mumbai street favorite, appeared on a whim while a bartender shook out a row of signature cocktails. The lounge's gin-based Virgin Limitless, served in a stem glass, mixes hibiscus with rose and is Barbie pink with a foamy white top."
"The lounge's official opening this month at SFO highlights Air India's ongoing rejuvenation after exiting state control in 2021. The airline is on the first leg of its self-rediscovery after returning to private ownership under the Tata Group. Deregulation of the airline industry nearly 50 years ago may have proven disastrous in the United States - gutting union wages, deserting smaller communities in favor of big city"
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